Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe

The food here is above what you would get in the Quarter. They make their own hot sausage and the french toast is on point. The owner was kind, but his brother was AWESOME! He was really cool and just made us feel so welcome! It’s a family run business and I dig that. The servers were excellent and made great suggestions. They make sure to thank you for your business and appreciate it as well. Just a great group of people in there. I have eaten at several restaurants here and this is the only one I felt deserved a five star review.

I mean, why aren’t you here? Especially if you’re reading this on a Sunday? Stop reading, close your laptop. Turn off your phone and drive to Li’l Dizzy’s.
I came on a recommendation of a local friend and it was the best decision I made in all of 2015. The food was great, made with a stick of butter and a load of love. Everything you eat here will make you want to kiss somebody. The chef, your mom, someone.
The gumbo with the giant crabs sticking out of it… wow. The french toast? Damn.
The fried chicken… oh the fried chicken is so… it’s just so… It’s…
Sorry, I started drooling.
Just get here!

Loved Lil Dizzy’s! Gave us an authentic feel of New Orleans which is what we were looking for after trying some of the restaurants in the French Quarter. The food was so good, and cheap!!!
We had the ‘All you can eat Breakfast buffet’ on a Sunday. Fried chicken, seafood gumbo, shrimp grille, French toast, potato salad, bread pudding, and the list goes on! It was by far the best southern food I had all wknd in Nola!

Wow — outstanding service and fantastic food in a cool casual atmosphere. Try the French toast and the jambalaya omelet… amazing!

Down home NOLA restaurant with local flavor you can’t deny. The place is small with lots of seating to maximize clientele. Pretty much setup for a grab & go or dine-​in at your own risk experience.
Arrived right before noon on a Sunday and only had about a 5 min wait but the dining room was packed with guests (on top of guests). During that time I had an opportunity to give Lil’ Dizzy’s a quick once-​over. I noticed the owner (a short, handsome, well groomed older gentlemen) greet customers entering, thank customers leaving, shout orders to get staff moving, buss tables, grab menus, run food… this man wore many hats; I was impressed. Wasn’t long before we grabbed a tiny table close to the door, I took my napkins to wipe the access water from the wet wash cloth used to clean our table before sitting. Lil’ Dizzy observed this and thanked me for helping him.
There was a brunch buffet happening that seemed to be a fan fav. Everything on the menu & additional options were also served in the $ 17.99 buffet, however it was too much food for me. I opted for the Shrimp & Grits (no cheese) and my dining guest went with the French Toast & Bacon which she LOVED!
My Shrimp & Grits arrived with a glob of American cheese which saddened me. The server apologized and asked if this was OK. Due to the state of emergency (hangry) I took the order as-​is, ate around the cheese and was able to actually enjoy it.
In a nutshell:
Service was a little slow & staggered. The facility was old with lots of character. The food was good. Lil’ Dizzy himself was amazing.
~Christy

First meal of 2016 success. My husband and I walked in and it was exactly what we were hoping for: bustling and cozy and full of neighborhood locals all chatting at the closely sat tables. The owner, Wayne, was shouting out to the waitresses and the staff, and they were shouting back and all joking and teasing each other. Fun environment. We both got the lunch buffet: fried chicken (WOW), seafood and andouille sausage gumbo file (also great), red beans and rice with ham hock, sweet corn bread, bread pudding, and corned beef with cabbage. It. was. stunning. We didn’t speak to one another for a good 10 minutes, at which point we just looked up and commented on how amazing the food was. Cannot wait to go back.

If you’re looking for a consistently good breakfast joint look no further.
Very solidly good food with large portions. Nothing blew me away, but nothing to complain about either. My friend really enjoyed her grilled chicken as it came with many onions and good charred bits. My grilled catfish was delicious as well. Good fried chicken – second best I’ve had in NOLA. But the best part was the buttery and wonderful biscuit. Don’t pass up on those!
Overall a hearty and satisfying meal.

I had lunch here last Saturday! I had po-​boys and fries with a friend who was in town.
I had an oyster po-​boy. It was very good, with nice, big, crispy oysters and the proper sort of bread. I got it dressed, of course, and it was dressed well. I am eager to have a cup of gumbo and a couple of pieces of fried chicken next time.
What I was impressed by was the service which, as we know, is so important. This is not a big place and it was pretty slammed. However, they knew how to deal with it and everything arrived in good time and everyone was very nice.

Came here for breakfast during my Nola trip.
— Dark meat fried chicken (⁵⁄₅ stars) — #1. Omg this fried chicken! Best fried chicken I’ve had. Sadly, I haven’t had fried chicken at too many legit places but better late than never! (Don’t let the simple look of the chicken in my picture fool you… It will blow your mind!)
— Shrimp grillades/​shrimp n grits (³⁄₅ stars): Hmm… the shrimp were very tiny and not satisfying. The entire bowl was lacking flavor. Later I was Unilocaling Luke’s and saw how big their shrimps are… (unfortunately didn’t get the chance to go to Luke’s)
— White meat fried chicken (²⁄₅ stars); Awww. I guess white meat is healthier but boy was it dry. No good :(
— Fried catfish (⁴⁄₅ stars): Only had a bite of this — snatched a bite from friend’s order. Tasted very delicious and fresh!
Service was so friendly. Seems like a local’s spot, and all the waiters/​waitresses were genuinely sweet. So rare these days to find this type of relaxed, happy service that’s not just overbearing and looking for extra tips… so it’s always a nice surprise finding it!
Overall, it’s a decent spot for food in New Orleans. But it was only 2 blocks walking distance from our Air BnB spot so the convenience was helpful. (We were recommended to Li’l Dizzy’s by our über driver one night)

We came here on Sunday at 11 am, right before the rush and were able to find a table in no time. The staffs were nice and friendly. It’s definitely a neighborhood gem .
Fried chicken (⁴⁄₅)
Mac and cheese (³⁄₅)
Veggies (⁴⁄₅)
Bacon (⁴⁄₅)
French toast (⁵⁄₅) — Wow, seriously the best french toasts!
Gumbo (⁴⁄₅)
Eggs (⁵⁄₅)
Sweet tea (⁵⁄₅)

The breakfast is just ok and needs some work. The grits needed a lot of salt and butter and tasted like it was cooked with just boiling water and nothing else. Now the lunch buffet for $ 15.99. A steal if you want New Orleans food that is good at a reasonable price. First course is a salad bar to start than the fried chicken that is cooked to perfection and full of flavor. The red beans and rice are I point and not to over bearing like some other restaurants. The gumbo which is file style with sausage and seafood reminds me of what my mother makes and THAT BREAD PUDDING is must have if your a bread pudding fan. It’s worth the price all by itself. Only drawbacks outside of the owner the service can be lacking and the wait staff will disappear on you plus between 12 – 2 the seating is limited and dining area is cramped and almost impossible to move around. Despite these flaws I will continue to return because the food is VERY GOOD!

Let’s start with the «butter.» It was country crock-​a sad excuse for anything natural. The menu is very limited. I ordered the eggs, grits and bacon. My husband ordered the shrimp grillades. Now this is a southern establishment and the grits were cooked salt less!! There was plenty of food for the money but I left half on my plate. I wanted a biscuit but no biscuits were available today. The coffee was weak. Famous people have visited this place… why?

Li’l Dizzy’s Café is by far the best meal I’ve eaten in New Orleans. I used to live in New Orleans before Katrina and grew up on the TX/​LA border, so my standard for a good southern meal is high.
I dined here on a Saturday morning with about 12 other women. We were seated immediately, but they were not able to accommodate a party of our size. However, we were able to sit in the same vicinity with each other.
The service was great. Friendly, timely and informative. I ordered the fried catfish, grits and eggs, my girlfriend had the shrimp and grits. The grits were a little bland, but I typically like to flavor them to my liking so I was not bothered.
I am looking forward to visiting New Orleans again, so that I can explore the menu. I would highly recommend Li’l Dizzy’s Café for brunch if you are in town.

It was OK. We went for the brunch buffet. The fried chicken was not as great as I was hoping it would be. The biscuits fresh out of the oven were probably the best thing. The Mac n cheese was good but not great (needed a little more salt). It was a good experience, staff was friendly but not sure I would go back. It is also really pricey for the brunch buffet! We paid much more than expected.

My favorite no frills meal on my last Nola trip was definitely at Lil Dizzy’s Café– the $ 16 lunch buffet allowed me to check off a lot of the essential Southern Staples for my trips food itinerary– fried chicken, etoufee, bread pudding, rice & beans, sausage, and gumbo. The fried chicken was textbook perfect and simple. This gumbo though, the layers and prominent crab flavor– it told me a story, it finally made me understand what all the gumbo fuss is about.

Highlights–
3 of us quickly seated
2 ordered the buffet
1 ordered a bowl of gumbo
The gumbo is served from the buffet so you might as well sample the buffet for a few dollars more.
Pros–
Fried chicken — light and crispy
Gumbo — flavorful not much crab but they will give you a side of claws of you ask
Pasta jambalaya — so good went Back for seconds, wanted thirds– shrimp and sausage dominated this pasta dish.
Green beans — most likely canned but perfectly seasoned like I love them .
Bread pudding — now I don’t even really care for this dish but omg it was so Yummy ! ! I could have gone back for seconds and thirds but I used self control.
Cons —
Service was a little strange — they seemed to want us out at closing as we were finishing up.
They turned a few tourists away at 3pm –Which is their closing time for lunch however allowed a local person in a few minutes later .
The waitresses and servers seem to be hard working southern men and women and a little more direct than us west coast folks are used to. Lol
Red Beans and rice were bland

I tried this place a Sunday less than a month ago. It was late morning, and my mom and I were hungry after spending the morning walking around the lakefront. I wanted to try someplace new so I checked out google and Unilocal.
This place popped up and since I’ve driven by a bunch of times, I figured it would be a perfect day to check it out. Since it was already 12:40 pm, we immediately got there before their 2 pm closing time. There was a wait. The guy doing the wait promised 4 minutes for a table for 2. We go outside and sit at one of their outdoor tables. Despite the late summer heat and humid, all the tables were full and had people eating their breakfast. So we got a chance to see their omelettes and fried chicken. Neither looked amazing, but we were hungry and hoping for the best.
An hour later, we finally are called. We entered the crowded dining room and sit at a 4-​top with an older Black couple. We all make our introductions then wait for the waitress to get our orders. In the meantime, both my mom and I get up to check out their breakfast buffet. At 1:40 pm, there’s only 3 pieces of tiny fried chicken and a few dried pork chops. The rest of the buffet were also slim pickings. We talk about using the omelette station but then decided that and the bread pudding weren’t worth $ 18/​person.
So my mom ordered the crabmeat and cheese omelette. I had the shrimp grillades. The couple got the buffet. Husband came back with 3 pieces of bacon, a tiny thigh and some grits. Wife had scrambled eggs and a wing. They ate in silence and picked at their cold food.
20 minutes later, our food arrives. At this point, our drinks finally come. The table had sodas, coffee and water.
My shrimp is swimming in grease while my mom’s omelette is a white half-​moon on her white plate. Neither looked appetizing. But since both of us had passed the point of ravenous, we ate with gusto.
Shrimp were good sized and perfectly cooked. Good amount of grits. Decent flavoring on everything. I ended up being fairly satisfied with my food. Definitely had much better but have had worse too. Although, I’ve never paid for worse…
Unfortunately, my mom couldn’t say the same. Absolutely no crab to speak of. No meat, no juice, no flavoring. It was a cheese omelette. For $ 13, it was cheese and eggs. No vegetables and definitely no crab.
Our table agreed the food was unacceptable. The couple was from Detroit and had been hoping for a good New Orleans restaurant. (My mom and I steered them toward Willie Mae’s for some fried chicken that lives up to its hype. They said they were immediately heading over there since they were still hungry, and Lil Dizzy’s was already breaking down the buffet. They shook their head and said $ 40 down the drain.)
So that plus the horrible service from beginning to end, ensures I won’t be coming back. The dining room is also very tiny and tables are right on top of each other. I left feeling claustrophobic and disappointed. I know I wasn’t the only one.

And I though I made good gumbo.
The buffet was just going to be too much food for lunch so I ordered a cup to go with my piece of fried chicken. I think «Holy sh_​t!» was what came out of my mouth, and I hope it wasn’t too loud… but DAMN it’s good! Little crab legs and bone-​in chicken poke out through broth that’s hiding shrimp and sausage underneath. The seasoning is perfect, and it comes out piping hot with 4 pieces of french bread to soak up all that goodness. Not to be outdone, the fried chicken was top notch, too. «One piece» of white meat chicken is actually a wing and a good-​size chunk of breast, with a crispy crust that isn’t overly seasoned (fine with me) and not so crunchy it tears up your mouth. The meat inside is moist and tender.
I liked it so much I went back the next day for breakfast. The shrimp grillade didn’t rock my world like the gumbo did, but it was still really good, especially with a few squirts of Louisiana on it. It came with a biscuit, which I didn’t have room for; I know there had to be a dozen shrimp in that bowl. They must serve Community Chicory coffee, because it was delicious.
As much as the food, I love the atmosphere and the people there, both the servers and the customers. It’s a mix of a few tourists and lots of locals, and the staff are warm and welcoming. I love the Tremé neighborhood and look forward to enjoying many, many more meals here.

Finally after passing up here for so long, made my way in. It was my bday and mom’s treat; perfect opportunity to check off a new place from my list. This is a local, family run joint, some members I know, most are whom my parents are familiar with. Came in for lunch and there was a buffet, but you could also order from the menu which i was more pleased about. Not that the buffet did not look delicious, just i’m not the one to rave over buffet’s, so i glazed over it and after seeing a bunch of heavy stuff in there (fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, red beans and other meats in brown gravy) i decided that breakfast was what i wanted.
I settled on a crabmeat omelet with all the dressings and i must say it was pretty banging. It sure seemed like a five-​egg-​omelet because that thing was massive. I also got a side of grits and wheat toast. The grits were super good, the consistency was perfect and it needed no salt, pepper or butter. The only thing about the omelet was every now and then i’d get little pieces of crab shell, but it was loaded with a lot of crab meat so i was okay with that.
A lot of times when places have dishes with crab meat in it, it comes out pretty skimp but that definitely was not the issue with mine. It could have also been they might have overheard it was my bday and i got a little extra love, but i doubt it. The staff’s interactions with patrons and each other told me everything about this place was genuine.
Nothing i noticed gave me an impression this place lacked in sanitation practices, even considering the buffet. Our waitress was so cool; a real down to Earth southern belle that kept the flow of our lunch a good one. I would certainly come back in here to try more menu items and perhaps give the buffet a try because it did look pretty good, just wasn’t in the mood for the food coma it would have put me in. I mean, it was my birthday and beautiful day, i would have hated to waste it passed out on the couch.
Thanks for the great service and meal, i’ll be seeing you all again, soon!

Worst breakfast ever. Swimming in grease, unseasoned everything, homefries rather than hash browns as they were listed on the menu, tiny bits of bacon — no doubt spooned out of the bottom of the buffet — rubbery eggs and dry toast with only the cheapest margarine and jelly for spreads and watery, wretched brown water passing as coffee.
Top that with long, slow, cranky service and a belly ache beginning even as we had to beg for our check.
Utterly disgusting. Never again.